Films to watch online

More and more of the films that still exist from the early days of film-making in Brighton are now being uploaded to the internet. They are mostly the work of George Albert Smith and James Williamson.
Click on the title to view the film in a separate window.
Links on this page are checked periodically to ensure they are still active. Please report broken links.

     

SILENT
1896
• On Brighton Beach (R W Paul)
• A Victorian Lady in her Boudoir (Esmι Collings)

1897
• Brighton Sea-going Car (G A Smith)
• Comic Shaving (G A Smith)
• Early Fashions on Brighton Pier. (James Williamson)
• Hanging Out the Clothes (G A Smith) Subscription required
• Making Sausages (G A Smith)
• Old Man Drinking a Glass of Beer (G A Smith)
• The Miller and the Sweep (G A Smith)
• The X Rays (G A Smith)

1898
• Bank Holiday at the Dyke (James Williamson)
• Santa Claus (G A Smith)

1899
• Churned Waters (John Benett-Stanford)
• First Northumberland Fusiliers Digging Entrenchments (John Benett-Stanford)
• The Inexhaustible Cab (G A Smith)
• A Kiss in the Tunnel (G A Smith)
• Panorama of Calcutta, India, from the River Ganges (John Benett-Stanford)
• Troops Passing Over the Modder by Train (John Benett-Stanford)

1900
• As Seen Through a Telescope (G A Smith)
• Attack on a Chinese Mission—Blue Jackets to the Rescue (James Williamson)
• The Brighton Queen (James Williamson)
• The Dull Razor (G A Smith)
• Grandma Threading Her Needle (G A Smith)
• Grandma's Reading Glass (G A Smith)
• Let Me Dream Again (G A Smith)
• The Old Maid's Valentine (G A Smith)
• A Quick Shave and Brush Up (G A Smith)

1901
• Are You There? (James Williamson)
• The Big Swallow (James Williamson)
• The Death of Poor Joe (first ever Dickens film, G A Smith)
• Fire! (James Williamson)
• The Magic Extinguisher (James Williamson)
• Scenes on the Beach at Brighton (possibly James Williamson; wrongly described and dated by Huntley Archive.)
• Stop Thief! (James Williamson)

1902
• Hey, Diddle Diddle, The Cat and the Fiddle (Laura Bayley)
• Mary Jane's Mishap (G A Smith)
• The Little Match Seller (James Williamson)
• A Reservist, Before the War, and After the War, (James Williamson) Subscription required

1903
• The Dear Boys Home for the Holidays (James Williamson)
• The Rival Clothiers trichrome test film (Benjamin Jumeaux & W N Lascelles Davidson)
• The Sick Kitten (G A Smith)

1904
• Great Display of Brock's Fireworks at the Crystal Palace colour (G A Smith)
• An Interesting Story (James Williamson)
• Sir Hiram Maxim's Captive Flying Machines

1905
• Brown's Half Holiday (James Williamson) Subscription required
• Our New Errand Boy (James Williamson)
• The Polite Lunatic (James Williamson)

1906
• Flying the Foam and Some Fancy Diving (James Williamson)
• Tartans of the Scottish Clans (Kinemacolor test film, G A Smith)
• Two Clowns (Kinemacolor test film, G A Smith)

1908
• £100 Reward (James Williamson)
• Nature's Hidden Beauties—Pond Life (E J Spitta for Williamson Kinematograph Company) Subscription required
• St Kilda, Its People and Birds (Oliver G Pike for Williamson Kinematograph Company)

1909
• The Boy and the Convict (David Aylott for Williamson)
• Two Naughty Boys (David Aylott for Williamson)

SILENT
1920
• Little Dorrit (Sidney Morgan for Progress Film Company) [shortened version]

1921
• The Mayor of Casterbridge (Sidney Morgan for Progress Film Company) [shortened version]

SOUND
This listing is for guidance only. It is not an endorsement if films have been uploaded without copyright clearance.

• My Death is a Mockery (Tony Young, 1952)
• Genevieve (Henry Cornelius, 1953)
• Mad About Men (Ralph Thomas,1954)
• Adventure in the Hopfields [clip] (John Guillermin, 1954)
• One Good Turn (John Paddy Carstairs,1954)
• The Secret (Cy Endfield,1955)
• Cast a Dark Shadow (Lewis Gilbert,1955)
• The Gelignite Gang [clip] (Terence Fisher, 1955)
• The Master Plan [clip] (Cy Endfield, 1955)
• Brighton Story (Pamela Bower, 1956)
• Jigsaw (Val Guest, 1962)
• Smokescreen (Jim O'Connolly, 1963)
• Shadow of Fear (Albert S Rogell, 1964)
• The Chalk Garden [trailer] (Ronald Neame, 1964)
• Be My Guest [trailer] (Lance Comfort, 1965)
• La Ragazza con la Pistola (Mario Monicelli, 1968)
• The Big Switch (Pete Walker, 1969)
• The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer (Kevin Billington, 1970)
• Made (John Mackenzie, 1972)
• The Flesh and Blood Show (Pete Walker, 1972)
• Quadrophenia [trailer] (Franc Roddam, 1979)
• A Handful of Dust (Charles Sturridge, 1988)
• The Fruit Machine (Philip Saville, 1988)
• Under Suspicion (Simon Moore, 1991)
• Dirty Weekend [trailer] (Michael Winner, 1993)



FILMS SET BUT NOT MADE IN BRIGHTON
• Stanley and Livingstone (Henry King, 1939)
• The Brighton Strangler (Max Nosseck, 1945)
• Pink String and Sealing Wax [clip] (Robert Hamer, 1945)


Work in progress. More to be added

Films represented in the banner (clockwise from left): The Magic Box, Grandma's Reading Glass,The Miller and the Sweep, Fire!, Brighton Rock, Quadrophenia, Jigsaw and Genevieve.

Page updated 20 June 2022
© David Fisher